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HomeMy WebLinkAbout208-22 RESOLUTION113 West Mountain Street Fayetteville, AR 72701 (479) 575-8323 Resolution: 208-22 File Number: 2022-0722 NELSON HACKETT HISTORICAL MARKER: A RESOLUTION TO ALLOW THE INSTALLATION OF AN HISTORICAL MARKER IN HONOR OF NELSON HACKETT IN THE CITY FLOWER BED IN FRONT OF THE BANK OF FAYETTEVILLE WHEREAS, the Black Heritage Preservation Commission has voted to request the City Council to authorize a bronze historical marker measuring about 18 inches wide and 22 inches tall in the City flower garden in front of the Bank of Fayetteville on the Square to honor Nelson Hackett ; and WHEREAS, the historical marker's cost can probably be paid by the Curtis H. Sykes Memorial Grant Program. NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS: Section 1: That the City Council of the City of Fayetteville, Arkansas hereby approves the recommendation of the Black Heritage Commission to install a bronze (price permitting) historical marker honoring Nelson Hackett about 18 inches wide and 22 inches tall with the inscription shown within the quotation marks in Council Member Jones' email of August 5, 2022. Section 2: That the City Council of the City of Fayetteville, Arkansas hereby joins with the Black Heritage Commission to apply to the Curtis H. Sykes Memorial Grant Program to fund the production of the historical marker and asks Mayor Jordan to provide for its installation in the flower garden in front of the Bank of Fayetteville on the City Square. PASSED and APPROVED on 9/6/2022 Page 1 Printed on 917122 Resolution: 208-22 File Number.' 2022-0722 Attest: n %11Mjagg4 PON R s''•• Y FAYETTEIIfLLC Y Kara Paxton, City Clerk Treasurer: y Page 2 Printed on 917122 City of Fayetteville, Arkansas 113 West Mountain Street Fayetteville, AR 72701 (479)575-8323 Text File File Number: 2022-0722 Agenda Date: 9/6/2022 Version: 1 Status: Passed In Control: City Council Meetinq File Type: Resolution Agenda Number: C.6 NELSON HACKETT HISTORICAL MARKER: A RESOLUTION TO ALLOW THE INSTALLATION OF AN HISTORICAL MARKER IN HONOR OF NELSON HACKETT IN THE CITY FLOWER BED IN FRONT OF THE BANK OF FAYETTEVILLE WHEREAS, the Black Heritage Preservation Commission has voted to request the City Council to authorize a bronze historical marker measuring about 18 inches wide and 22 inches tall in the City flower garden in front of the Bank of Fayetteville on the Square to honor Nelson Hackett ; and WHEREAS, the historical marker's cost can probably be paid by the Curtis H. Sykes Memorial Grant Program. NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS: Section 1: That the City Council of the City of Fayetteville, Arkansas hereby approves the recommendation of the Black Heritage Commission to install a bronze (price permitting) historical marker honoring Nelson Hackett about 18 inches wide and 22 inches tall with the inscription shown within the quotation marks in Council Member Jones' email of August 5, 2022. Section 2: That the City Council of the City of Fayetteville, Arkansas hereby joins with the Black Heritage Commission to apply to the Curtis H. Sykes Memorial Grant Program to fund the production of the historical marker and asks Mayor Jordan to provide for its installation in the flower garden in front of the Bank of Fayetteville on the City Square. City of Fayetteville, Arkansas Page 1 Printed on 91712022 Legistar ID No.: 2022- ©-V 9 - AGENDA REQUEST FORM FOR: Council Meeting of August 16, 2022 FROM: Council Member D'Andre Jones ORDINANCE OR RESOLUTION TITLE AND SUBJECT: A RESOLUTION TO ALLOW THE INSTALLATION OF AN HISTORICAL MARKER IN HONOR OF NELSON HACKETT IN THE CITY FLOWER BED IN FRONT OF THE BANK OF FAYETTEVILLE APPROVED FOR AGENDA: 4r, ,, �, -e-04a,l City Council Member D'Andre Jones City Attorney Kit Williams Approved as to form vI V c y ZL Date �tJz�ufL S zuZZ_ Date Williams, Kit From: D'Andre Jones <dre91732000@gmail.com> Sent: Tuesday, August 09, 2022 11:28 AM To: Williams, Kit Subject: Re: FW: Nelson Hackett CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the City of Fayetteville. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. All good On Tue, Aug 9, 2022 at 11:21 AM Williams, Kit <kwilliams fa etteville-ar. ov> wrote: D'Andre, I need to remind you that you must approve these potential resolutions before I can place them into Legistar and get them on the Agenda. If you would like any changes, I will make them for you. Otherwise please confirm that you want these added to the agenda. Thanks, Kit From: Williams, Kit Sent: Friday, August 05, 2022 4:43 PM To:'D'Andre Jones' <dre91732000@gmail.com> Subject: RE: Nelson Hackett D'Andre, Since there are two actual requests, one of the historical market on the Square and the second for the renaming of Archibald Yell Boulevard, I drafted two Resolutions for your approval. They are attached here for your review and approval. Please let me know if any changes are needed. Have a good weekend, Kit From: D'Andre Jones <dre91732000@gmail.com> Sent: Friday, August 05, 2022 1:11 PM To: Paxton, Kara <kapaxton@fayetteville-ar.gov>; Williams, Kit <kwilliams@fayetteville-ar.gov> Cc: Bostick, Britin <bbostick@fayetteville-ar.gov> Subject: Fwd: Nelson Hackett CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the City of Fayetteville. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. Hello Kit and Kara I would like to add this item to the agenda for the August 16th meeting!! Sent from my Whone The Black Heritage Preservation Commission was established by the Fayetteville City Council in 2021 to recognize, acknowledge, protect, and preserve historical Black structures and cemeteries in honor of the vision, accomplishment, and perseverance of Fayetteville's early Black families and individuals and the churches and other structures they built. Another purpose of this Commission is the creation of Black historical markers to recognize the struggles and achievements of our Black citizens to promote diversity and equality for all Fayetteville residents and to oppose discrimination against any person in Fayetteville. The Commission should research and investigate sites of important struggles and achievements of our Black residents and their supporters to promote diversity and equality and to oppose discrimination in Fayetteville. The Commission may recommend to the City Council that a Black historical marker memorializing such an important site be created and installed at such a location. In their meeting on July 21, 2022, the Black Heritage Preservation Commission voted to recommend two items to the City Council: • The first item is a historic marker in honor of Nelson Hackett, an enslaved man who was in Fayetteville around 1840. The marker language is proposed to read: "Nelson Hackett was an enslaved man whose escape to Canada and subsequent extradition set off an international dispute that ensured Canada remained a safe refuge for those escaping bondage from the United States. He labored near this spot as a personal servant to Alfred Wallace. Hackett fled Fayetteville in July 1841, leaving with a horse, saddle, beaver coat, and gold watch with chain. He traveled 360 miles across Missouri and another 600 miles through the free states before crossing into Canada in late August. Wallace tracked Hackett to the town of Chatham, Ontario, Canada (near Detroit), and had him arrested for stealing the horse and other goods. The Canadian colonial governor's decision to extradite Hackett back to Arkansas made Hackett's first fugitive from Canada return to slavery. In early summer 1842, a shackled Hackett arrived back in Fayetteville. He was publicly whipped on several occasions, serving as an example to other enslaved people, before being sold to Texas slavers. He then escaped again, and his fate remains unknown. Black and white abolitionists throughout the Atlantic world fought to prevent Hackett's extradition from setting a precedent. They secured a commitment from the British government, which still had many territories under colonial rule, to make extradition of those fleeing slavery nearly impossible." More information on Nelson Hackett is available online at htt s: nelsonhackettproject.uark.edu/. The Commission's recommendation is for an 18" wide x 22" tall bronze, post -mounted marker with the possibility of other, more cost-effective options. This marker is recommended to be installed in the flower bed in front of the Bank of Fayetteville on the northwest corner of the Square, , being at the corner of S. Block Ave. and W. Center Streets. To fund the marker, the Commission is recommending an application for the whole of the cost of the marker for the Curtis H. Sykes Memorial Grant Program, which is administered by the Arkansas State Archives. More information is available about the Sykes Grant at https://www.arkansasheritage.com/arkansas- state -archives arkansas-state-archives-about available- rants. The second item is the renaming of Archibald Yell Boulevard to Nelson Hackett Boulevard. The City of Fayetteville is currently undertaking street lane restriping and crossing improvements to Archibald Yell Blvd. More information is available online at htt�s:f Jwww.fayetteville-ar.gov/35g41Archibald- Yell-Blvd-Safet -Im rovements. Both a historic marker honoring Nelson Hackett and the renaming of Archibald Yell Blvd. have been topics of discussion for some months. The Black Heritage Preservation Commission received a presentation on the Nelson Hackett Project from Dr. Michael Pierce with the University of Arkansas in their meeting on March 17, 2022, and discussed a marker honoring Mr. Hackett in that meeting and in following meetings. After discussion and deliberation, as well as consideration of the marker text and different location and design options, the Commission moved forward with a recommendation at the July meeting. Following a staff presentation of the Archibald Yell Blvd. improvements to the City Council in May, the renaming of Archibald Yell Blvd. was placed on the Commission's agenda for discussion, and the recommendation was made at the July meeting. In discussion and in approving the motions to recommend the items to the City Council, the Commissioners noted that the renaming of Archibald Yell Blvd. has been on the minds of many community members for a while now. This is not about canceling or removing history but rather about acknowledging individuals that have not previously been acknowledged. They additionally noted the importance of sharing Nelson Hackett's story with the community, collaborating with other African American Heritage groups, and recognizing the historical context of Black Fayetteville so that a different type of history is being told. The Commission acknowledged this is a bold step in recognizing African American history, however long overdue. This proposed resolution is important because it shows Fayetteville's involvement in the slave trade, which is important to acknowledge in our history. By recognizing this history, Fayetteville would also be showing a commitment to inclusion. The Commissioners would like to request the community's support for these recommendations and a resolution from the City Council to enact these recommendations and hope to have community groups and individuals endorse the resolution presented to the City Council. Best Regards, D'Andre L. Jones - MSW, MA Fayetteville City Council Ward 1 Position 2 "Everybody can be great ... because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Best Regards, D'Andre L. Jones - MSW, MA Fayetteville City Council Ward 1 Position 2 "Everybody can be great ... because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.